A Crow Amongst Ravens
by Rainbow Gumboots
Summary: In which Loki brings along someone he thinks will give him the leverage against Thor to win his war. But when things don't go according to plan, what will happen to his 'leverage?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I know I kind of throw you into the story, but the next chapter I'll be slower and more introductory. I hope you all enjoy, although I apologize for the shortness.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the Avengers. And I don't own the cover picture either.  
**

* * *

The rush of wind tore and chopped at the screams that filled the air, distorting and twisting the pleas for help that seamed to be coming from the very city itself.

Chitauri had swarmed, their army disheveling the city into chaos. The organized soldiers Loki had expected and planned for had disintegrated out of his control, yet the effect was the same; Domination.

* * *

"Roger's, back me up over here!" Stark called to the Captain as he herded a group of frightened civilians away from a building that seemed to be crumpling from the force of the wind alone.

"Damn it! I said help me!" He growled impatiently, scooping a screaming kid into his arms.

Just as Steve turned around to take the kid from Tony, all the cars lining the street gave out low groans. The glass windows shattering as the metal auto-bodies crumpled in on themselves like soda cans.

"What the-" Tony was cut off as the truck nearest him exploded, sending shards of glass in every directions. The two supermen protected the little group of huddled people with their bodies, looking up into the sky as a torrent of air whipped past them.

It was Loki on one of the Chitauri hovercrafts, leaving in his wake a line of destruction.

Stark took off into the air after him, the glass on the street rattling as his jets intensified.

"Tony! Where are you going?!" Steve couldn't help but yell into his head set as he somehow doubled his pace again to make up for Iron Man's departure.

The Captain could almost feel Stark rolling his eyes as he replied, "To finish this."

* * *

As Tony neared Loki he noticed something he'd missed before; A small blonde pressed against the God of mischief's chest.

Loki had one arm wrapped almost protectively around the girl, the other holding his scepter outwards. He whispered in her ear, her eyes darting around the city in horror as he filled her mind with the worst of frights. As trickster talked in her ear, building started to twist, and glass shatter.

Suddenly the girl looked up and Tony was surprised to find fear in her eyes, rather than the cold glint of anger or bitterness.

He slowly rose his hand towards them, powering up a shot to take them down. The girl's eyes widened and his suit started to buckle, the metal creating dents and welts in itself. He fell back a few feet in surprise as JARVIS quickly ran a scan for damage.

He looked up to find the blonde's eyes still fixed on him.

It was her. She'd been the one shattering glass and cars down on the streets, and now she was trying to destroy his baby.

"Oh no you don't." He muttered under his breath, connecting to Clint's ear piece as he powered back up.

"Could use you over here bird boy." Tony flew by to grab his attention, "I can't get close to them."

Hawkeye gave a muffled reply, commenting on the name 'bird boy' rather sourly as he drew back his bowstring, his gaze following Loki's aircraft.

Clint released the bow string in one fluid motion, all ready restringing as an arrow flew towards them.

Lightening split the air, piercing the arrow before it reached home. A storm quickly grew in the air. It seemed Thor had noticed Loki's passenger as well.

"What the- Thor get off!" Clint was taken as surprise the the Lightening God himself appeared in front of him, tackling him down before he could release another arrow. Clint's elbow connected with Thor's jaw as he tried to get back up.

"Don't hurt her!" Thor bellowed, not even noticing the blow that landed to his jaw. "She has nothing to do with this! She doesn't understand!" His own eyes drifting back up to the girl in his brother's arms. His mouth had formed a straight line.

Clint rose a brow. He definitely thought Loki's side girl had to have something to do with this.

"But-" Clint opened his mouth to speak.

"Please-"

"Thor-"

"You can't-" Black clouds continued to roll in.

"THOR!" Clint yelled in frustration at the same time an explosion sounded.

Both boys looked up. Their skirmish had caused enough of a distraction for Tony to fire off a charged shot, hitting the side of the aircraft hard.

The small machine jarred to the side as one of the engines blew. The riders were sprawled on the crafts floor as it hung dangerously in the air. Loki's scepter lay on one side, the girl hanging off the other with Loki playing a dangerous game of teeter-totter in the middle.

To move either way would cause the ship to turn over in the air. But to stay motionless in the middle would leave Loki a sitting duck. He pursed his lips, casting a glance at his scepter. The other engines wouldn't hold long.

"Loki?" The girl spoke for the first time, her voice barely above a whisper as she saw him glance to his scepter. "You promised." She was sliding now, scrambling to hang on as the shift of her weight only tipped the machine further.

Loki looked her over, mouthing an apology as he lunged the other way towards the glowing scepter. He shot a glance back as the craft lurched one last time. The girl was gone. He dove off, landing on another passing hovercraft.


	2. Chapter 2

A week had gone by since the battle had ended; Three days since the decision that Loki would fulfill his punishment on earth had been made. No one was happy.

That's what Steve was thinking about as he walked to the hospital.

The God of Mischief was currently holed up somewhere only SHIELD knew where. After his brief return to Asgard, Frigga had pounded for the decision to be made that her youngest son would stay with Thor, in hopes that he would be able to change for the better as his brother had.

Unfortunately for Steve and everyone else, that would mean that the fallen God's prison would become Stark tower.

* * *

He tucked his hands into his jacket pockets as he walked in silence, glancing up as he arrived at the hospital. Signing in, he gave the secretary a small shy smile. The grey haired woman returned his greeting warmly, motioning for him to head on down to see the patients.

The Captain had been going to visit the patients everyday since he'd been cleared by SHIELD, usually visiting the children, who seemed to be thrilled at just the idea of him coming to see them.

He walked into the pediatric wing, smiling as a few kids leaped out of bed to race over to him. The bedridden kids merely watched with awed expressions as the others clung to the Captain, pretending to fight him.

Steve picked up one of the offenders with a laugh, swinging a small brown haired girl up over his shoulders. "What's new around here?" He asked with a grin as the girl used his hair to steer him around the room.

"Well, Jay's arms _still_ broken." Maddie, the girl, said as if the idea that it hadn't healed over night was outrageous, "I think two more days will do the trick." She held up four fingers as she gave her diagnosis.

Steve chuckled, opening his mouth to reply when he noticed something that didn't quite belong.

Maddie followed his gaze to the back corner of the room, were a woman who was most definitely no longer a child lay tucked in a hospital bed.

"Oh, that's just Ma'am," The little girl said, "Or at least that's what the nurse-lady calls her." She explained knowingly. "The nurse-lady said there wasn't room left upstairs, so she'd have to stay with us. Maddie placed her hands on Steve's head, propping herself up so she could look at the little blonde woman better.

Were there that many injured that the hospital was running out of room? It was one of the biggest facilities he'd ever seen, not that he'd been to many other hospitals...

"She doesn't talk much yet, but I think I'm going to ask her to tell us a story tonight." She gave a toothy smile at the idea.

* * *

Steve had to escape from Stark Tower the next day to visit the hospital.

It seemed everyone was after him for one thing or another. Tony had been ambushing him all morning in an attempt to run tests on his shield in hope that he could mimic the metal's qualities in one of his suits.

Natasha had wanted to use him as a sparring partner, while Banner wanted to discuss the tesseract's shared qualities of radiation.

Even Thor was after his help in tracking down some girl that he, Tony, and Clint had seen with Loki. It was an Asgardian woman who he referred to as Brielle, although he spoke her name with a heavy accent causing it to sound more like Bri-Hel.

He shook his day, disregarding the thoughts of the others. He could help them later.

He smiled at the secretary, just like every other day, before making his rounds through the hospital. He checked on everyone before finishing in the children's wing.

He gave a light tap of the door before stepping in, expecting the mob to jump him like usual. However he was surprised to find them curled up around the woman's cot, listening to her speak. Maddie, who had propped herself right up on the girl's bed, and turned and jumped off, running over to Steve excitedly.

"I asked her!" She squealed, climbing up the Captain so she could talk face to face. "I asked Ma'am to tell us a story and she said yes! She can talk!" She little girl said, a proud grin spread across her face. "Come listen, she's just getting to the good part!" Maddie slid back down Steve's side, grabbing his hand and pulling him over to the group of kids.

"-In Alfheim, there are elves who live within the earth, unable to look upon the suns glow. They brood in caverns in the rubble, waiting for nightfall to conceal the light too pure to adorn their skin; Waiting for nightfall as to lay attack on their elven brethren of the brightest star."

Steve looked glanced at Maddie to find her once again hanging onto the blondes every word. It wasn't a bad story so far, he had to admit, albeit not one he'd ever heard of.

The girl looked up and smiled at Steve before turning back to finish her tale.

One of the nurses entered the room to change the IV's, Steve backed away from the story listeners to gain the nurses attention. "Captain," The brunette nurse greeted, clipping on the new IV.

Steve cleared his throat, "I was just wondering who exactly that was." He nodded to the children's storyteller. The nurse stood up, looking at the blonde patient.

"A victim of amnesia. She has bruising to the ribs and legs, and-" Steve nodded cutting her off.

"Does she remember her name?"

"No."

"Have you contacted anyone that could possibly identify her."

Again the nurse shook her head. "There's no one missing her, not a single thread to trace her back to. Not even dental records." She shrugged, "She'll recover soon enough. Just a bit of a bump to the head."


End file.
